Effective Communication free essay sample

Communicating Effectively In Spoken English In Selected Social Contexts. Communication is a process of transmitting information from origin to recipients where the information is required to be understood, reacted and responded by the recipients. According to Carl Rogers (1952), real communication occured when we understand what we listen, feel the ideas and attitude expressed from other persons point of view and when we achieve the frame of reference in regard to the things a speaker is talking about. There are three types of communication according to Camp ; Satterwhite (2002), i. e. ral, written and non-verbal communication. Since this paper is to discuss on communicating effectively in spoken English, oral communication is the right type of communication to be discussed. In oral communication, information, messages, thoughts and ideas are conveyed via spoken language. Basically this takes place during face-to-face conversation, meetings, voice mail messages, teleconferencing, oral presentations and public speaking. Very often, spoken messages are sent very quickly and feedback received almost immediately. Effective Communication There are many things that go into the basic task of effective communication. Although it may seem easy or effortless for some to have conversations with complete understanding, for others it may be a struggle to just get a point across or even properly interpret what others are meaning to convey. In order to perfect the task of effective communication there are many things to consider. These tools and knowledge rules that should be considered are; knowing the process of verbal and nonverbal communication along with the components, the differences between listening and hearing in a conversation, formal and informal channels of communication in the criminal justice field, the barriers to effective communication in the criminal justice organization, and lastly the strategies that may be implemented to overcome communication. First, verbal and nonverbal communication is the beginning tool when effective communication is being created. There are many components that come into play and they need to be understood completely. According to Merriam-Dictionary. com, Nonverbal communication can be defined as â€Å"involving minimal use of language, not involving or using words†. Non-verbal communication is very important when communicating. If you are to sit in a crowd of people and are having a conversation, while others are talking, take the time to notice the body language that others are using. Body language can tell a lot about how people are grasping information and/or how they are feeling, such as boredom, anxiety, attentiveness, etc. If a person is very fidgety while listening to you speak, this could imply many things. If a person is losing eye contact and slouching, they may not be interested or even paying attention due to the subject matter. Facial expressions are very important for nonverbal communication. Although Non-verbal communication is not the only form of communication, it is particularly important to pay attention to these things when communicating. Next we have Verbal communication. According to Dictionary. com, Verbal Communication can be defined as â€Å"expressed in spoken words; oral rather than written†. Verbal communication is a vital part of our daily lives as this is how a majority of how things are conveyed and handled. From talking on the phones to having work meetings, to having appointments or even having family time, we use verbal communication. Verbal communication is easy for some and difficult for others, however, once a person understands the components that go into verbal communication, conversations and daily activities may come easier. The components for Non-verbal communication consist of elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality, rate, pitch, volume, and speaking style, as well features such as rhythm, intonation, and stress. Non-verbal communication is very important, because it helps learn how people are responding to what we are saying and how they are thinking without conveying their thoughts verbally. Next, learning the differences between listening and hearing a conversation will help make your communication more effective. When you listen to a conversation or daily chit chat, it means that there is the attachment of meaning. You often times can lose what the people are saying to you when a conversation is going on because you are only listening to words versus hearing them. When it comes to hearing it is a necessary prerequisite for listening and an important component of the listening process. Hearing simply means that it is reception of sound. Hearing is also vital to the effective communication process, because this is where we retain the information that is being spoken or told to us. Formal in and informal channels of communication in the criminal justice fields help determine the directions that our communication should and are flowing. Formal channels of communication are within the hierarchy of the criminal justice field. The chain of command directs the formal channels of upward, downward, and horizontal communication through the levels of higher ups and those in charge. The organizations hierarchy implements procedures and processes related to communication within the levels of command and departments. The directors enforce the means of communication and to who the information needs to be told to or shown to. The hierarchy sets the structure, feel and atmosphere through written policies, rules and procedures. According to Hubpages. com â€Å"following the chain of command; which includes policies and procedures, is the process of formal communication. These procedures are considered to channel from the top of the agency to the downward structure of the agency. † The most common informal channel of communication is the grapevine. Employees at any level tend to share or tell received or overheard information with other employees. One example could be the game Telephone. This is where you hear some information, and you are supposed to convey it to the next person in the line just as you heard it into their ear so no-one else hears it. The end person in the line is the person who says it out loud and you can hear how screwed up the original messages end up. Just like the game Telephone, the inefficiency with this channel is that in the workplace, some employees do not repeat the information as it was received. The information becomes altered, tweaked and invalid. The informal channel also provides efficiency. Many times, when people in the same level of the hierarchy at a work place convey messages amongst themselves, they develop a kinship or a bond from the basic communication going on. Since communication is so important to all of us on a daily basis we need to be able to pinpoint the barriers that come along with communication to try and minimize and navigate away from them. Some common barriers that are in the criminal justice organization are language, culture, inability to listen, self-esteem and anxiety, and technology. When you are new to a country or even a state and the dominant language is either English or Spanish, then it is vital to know the language. In the criminal justice field you are constantly working and dealing with all walks of life. If you are unable to communicate with the people effectively due to a language barrier, then this will pose multiple issues, such as lack of information or even misunderstanding. Next is culture. If you are unable to relate to how things work and function in an area that you work in, you may offend certain people. This in turn could lead to communication barriers because they may feel that you wouldn’t understand how things are done or even if you are trustworthy or not. Having the inability to listen is a major barrier. If you are being spoken to and confided in, but show no signs of listening then you may miss vital and important information that may be crucial to get the job done and done well. Second to last we have self-esteem and anxiety. According to Hybschmann Publishing. inc. com, when it comes to self-esteem and anxiety, â€Å"these two ingredients can lead to a communication barrier called communication apprehension. † If a person is always nervous and anxious it can make it hard for a person to communicate their thoughts or true feelings. When communication apprehension kicks in this is a definite barrier to finding out vital information and facts that may be necessary to get jobs and task done in the criminal justice field. Lastly, one major barrier is technology. Although often times in today’s society, technology can be used to our full advantage. However, in some cases it works completely against us. If we have to fill out reports or draft certain documents via hand, and all we have known is how to do it on the computer, then we will be completely lost. With that said, we often times rely on spell check or grammar check on the computer programs to fix our spelling or grammatical errors without even giving it a second thought. Since the computer is doing our work, we a lot of the time lose our penmanship or even know how to spell common words. There are many strategies that we can use as working professionals, parents, and college students that can help us overcome communication barriers. These strategies can be carried over into the criminal justice field as they will help alleviate and mitigate any communication barriers. The strategies that will help throughout are to listen when people speak to you and around you. If it is something that needs to be fully understood, if you are partial on your understanding, ask questions and regurgitate what you have heard. When surrounded with nonsense gossip and communication, find the source or the root to ensure that what you are hearing is the actual message that was intended. If technology is the factor, steer away from the computers and cell phones for a bit. Try doing things the old and traditional way of long hand and short hand writing. This will ensure that you do in fact remember grammar and spelling and formatting. When anxiety and self-esteem are the issue, practice speaking in crowds and controlling your fidgeting. This will show your confidence and will also help others pay attention when you speak. In relation to culture and language, learn the areas that you will be working in and the type of people you will be with. This will give you a better understanding of how things are ran and function and what language you should practice and possibly learn. In conclusion, this paper discussed the process of verbal and nonverbal communication while describing the associated components of each, the difference between listening and hearing. Further, formal and informal channels of communication within the criminal justice organizations were examined, along with different barriers to effective communication. Finally, strategies that may be implemented to overcome communication barriers in the criminal justice organization were covered. All these components are vital to learn, understand, and be an effective communicator in the criminal justice organization.